Emissions from coal-fired power plants in the European Union contribute to over 18,000 premature deaths a year and cost an annual 42.8 billion euros, a report from the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) said…"The findings are particularly worrying given that the use of coal is now rising after years of decline," said...[the head of] the environmental network. Germany, which along with Poland and Romania, account for almost half the health bill, is relaunching coal-fired plants following its decision to shut down nuclear reactors…Jean-Paul Sculier of the European Respiratory Society said that "addressing air pollution from coal power plants alone has the potential to yield significant savings to health budgets, especially given that an average coal power plant operates for at least forty years."